Where is the This Life cast now? See Egg, Anna, Milly and Miles as they are today

When the BBC drama This Life first aired in 1996, it was immediately compared to Friends. Both shows centered around a group of friends in their twenties figuring out their careers, relationships, and lives.

If viewers were hoping for a gentle, heartwarming show with sweet romance, they were surprised by what they actually saw.

The TV show This Life was known for its explicit content, including sex, drug use, and nudity. One memorable scene involved a guest having sex with another in a bathroom at a wild wedding – something you definitely wouldn’t have seen on the more wholesome Friends.

The show, which originally aired from 1996 to 1997 and had a reunion episode in 2007, followed the lives of five newly qualified lawyers living together in a run-down house in south London.

The show featured a talented cast including Andrew Lincoln, Daniela Nardini, Amita Dhiri, Jason Hughes, and Jack Davenport, and helped launch many careers in television. Notably, Martin Freeman appeared in the second episode, Jodie Whittaker made a cameo in a special reunion, and Ricky Gervais, before his success with The Office, contributed as the show’s music advisor.

Read on to discover what the main cast has been up to since This Life first aired.

Daniela Nardini

Daniela Nardini, a Scottish actress, portrayed Anna, who had a complicated, on-again, off-again relationship with her housemate, Miles, during the show. Nardini’s performance as the witty, strong-willed, and sarcastic Anna was a highlight – she delivered memorable lines like, “If you’ll excuse me, I’ve got a long bath and a short dress to get into” – and earned her a BAFTA award.

After finishing her studies at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, Nardini thought about becoming a drama teacher. However, she was then offered the part of Anna. In 2006, she told The Independent that many 16-year-old girls still look up to Anna, which worries her. She jokes, ‘Anna is a character who drinks gin, smokes constantly, and uses cocaine – I hope I haven’t unintentionally encouraged anyone to behave badly!’

After her work on the series, Nardini acted in the comedy-drama New Town, and made guest appearances on the shows Vera and Lewis. In 2012, she played science teacher Esther Fairclough in Waterloo Road, and also performed in stage productions of Camille and A Streetcar Named Desire.

After receiving a breast cancer diagnosis, Daniela paused her acting career and retrained as a psychotherapist. She now practices in Glasgow.

Andrew Lincoln

Andrew Lincoln, famous for his work on shows like The Walking Dead and Teachers, landed the part of Edgar “Egg” Cooke in This Life soon after graduating from RADA at age 22.

I’ve always recognized him as that guy from Love Actually! You know, the one played by Andrew Clutterbuck – that’s his real name, by the way. He’s Mark in the movie, and his scene where he confesses his love to Juliet (Keira Knightley) with those cue cards is iconic – everyone always makes fun of it, but it’s so sweet! Before that, I remember seeing him in The Woman in White and he was also really good in the early seasons of the Channel 4 show Teachers, playing a new teacher called Simon.

Seven years after starting his career, Andrew Lincoln became internationally known for playing Rick Grimes in the hit TV show The Walking Dead. He was a main cast member for the first nine seasons, made a cameo in season eleven, and also appeared in the show’s spin-offs, Fear the Walking Dead and The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live.

More recently, he starred in the ITV drama series Coldwater.

Jack Davenport

Jack Davenport, whose parents are actors Nigel Davenport (known for Chariots of Fire) and Maria Aitken (A Fish Called Wanda), began his on-screen career in the 1997 John Cleese comedy Fierce Creatures.

After that role, he auditioned for and landed the part of Miles, a flawed and often unlikeable law school graduate, in the show This Life. He later told The Guardian in 2014 that he enjoyed playing Miles, describing him as a privileged and outdated character.

After the show ended, Davenport continued to thrive in television, film, and theatre. He’s known for roles in films like The Talented Mr. Ripley and as James Norrington in three Pirates of the Caribbean movies, where his character proposes to Elizabeth Swann (played by Keira Knightley).

He’s known for his role on the sitcom Coupling, and has also appeared in popular shows like The Good Wife, The Morning Show, Dr. Death, and Ten Percent, which is the UK version of Call My Agent.

James has recently appeared in several notable roles, including as James Forsyte in the period drama The Forsytes, and in the thriller The Assassin with Keeley Hawes and Freddie Highmore. He’s also playing Laurence Olivier in the upcoming film Vivien & The Florist.

He and his wife, Michelle Gomez – known to many as Missy from Doctor Who – both became U.S. citizens in 2023.

Amita Dhiri

Milly from the show This Life is most famous for a dramatic moment where she punched her opponent, Rachel, during a wedding. This was Amita Dhiri’s breakout role, and afterward, she appeared as a guest star in popular series like Dalziel and Pascoe, Holby City, Judge John Deed, and Silent Witness.

In 2010, Dhiri began playing Grace Dasari on the popular TV drama The Bill, and appeared in over 90 episodes of the show.

The actress, originally from Brighton, started her performing career by singing and impersonating stars like Janet Jackson and Tina Turner in a traveling cabaret show. In 2024, she was most recently seen in season three of Bridgerton, where she played Mrs. Khanna, the housekeeper at the Kent estate—which was newly inherited by the Mondrich family.

Jason Hughes

Jason Hughes, a Welsh actor, became known for his role as Warren, a gay lawyer. This was a significant part at the time, as mainstream TV shows rarely featured gay characters in leading roles.

He shared in an interview with The Arts Desk that the most rewarding part of the experience was receiving letters from young gay men who said the show helped them find the strength to come out to their parents. He described those letters as profoundly moving.

Most people recognize Hughes for playing Sergeant Ben Jones in the popular show Midsomer Murders, a role he held from 2005 to 2013. He’s also been a guest star in several other well-known dramas, including Waking The Dead, Death In Paradise, Marcella, The Pact, and Beyond Paradise.

The actor’s performance background is extensive, starting at age 16 with the National Youth Theatre of Wales. It was there he first appeared on stage, alongside his friend Michael Sheen.

Hughes and the other actor also performed together in a 1999 production of Look Back in Anger. Hughes has since appeared in productions of To Kill a Mockingbird, Caligula, and most recently, Nye at London’s Olivier Theatre in 2025.

Ramon Tikaram

Just a quick note: the motorbike courier Ferdy, played by Ramon Tikaram, was the one who had a moment in the bathroom towards the end of the second season of This Life. He first appeared at the end of season one and became a key character in season two, dealing with questions about his sexuality and his feelings for both his fiancée, Mia, and his friend, Warren.

Following the conclusion of the show, Tikaram played Judas in a West End production of Jesus Christ Superstar and went on to establish a strong acting career, with roles in popular series like Dream Team, Silent Witness, Happy Valley, Game of Thrones, and Primeval.

He first appeared as Qadim Shah in EastEnders in 2009, and later had a role in the thriller Fortitude. Many viewers will also know him as Terence McCann from Brassic, Victor Aziz in Pennyworth, and Charon in the mythological drama Kaos.

Ramon is the brother of singer Tanita Tikaram. He began his music career by releasing the pop singles ‘Johnny’s Coming Home’ and ‘Hey!’ in Germany.

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2026-03-11 19:53